This week's news: 07/12/2015

It was an uncharacteristically quiet weekend at the many free weekly 5k parkruns for the members of Sandbach Striders running Club with only five Striders in parkrun action. 

Sandbach Striders at the Yuletide Yomp 10k

Four Striders ran the three laps of Astbury Mere at the Congleton parkrun, recording the following results:

Race Report: Newcastle Dales Dash 6/12/2015

The 'Newcastle Dales Dash' race took place on a Sunday 6th December on an overcast, wet and windy morning. The race takes place on the 'Apedale Community Country Park, 200 hectares of woods, meadows and pools, which is reclaimed land from what was once coal mining land.'

Seven brave striders ventured on this overcast morning to take part in this race; Matt and Elaine, Liz, Heather, Giles Tracey and myself  (Tony). We all met at the 'Apedale Heritage Centre', where the race was to start, where an army of volunteers efficiently handed out the race numbers and assisted us before the start. 

This week's news: 30/11/2015

Nine members of Sandbach Striders running club ran the free weekly 5k parkrun at Congleton. The full results were as follows:

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

This week's news 23/11/2015

Nine members of Sandbach Striders Running Club ran the free weekly 5k parkrun at Astbury Mere in Congleton. Darren Varley finished in first position with Tony Taylor coming in third. Jaynie Turner completed her first ever parkrun.

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

The full results were:

This Week's News: 16/11/2015

Members of Sandbach Striders Running Club were in action in four different parkrun events around the country. Closest to home were the 11 Striders who ran the three laps of Astbury Mere that make up Congleton parkrun. 

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

Tony Taylor continued his run of good form finishing in second place overall in a new personal best time. Steve Fallows also ran a new personal best time.

Race Report: Six Dales LDWA 14/11/2015

When I signed up for this LDWA event I predicted a gentle stroll around the Peak District and therefore hadn’t really done any preparation or planning.  In the days prior to the event, Storm Abigail battered the UK with strong winds and heavy rain.  

This meant that on the night before the race I became slightly anxious about what the day would involve.  

News from Sandbach Striders 09/11/2015

Members of Sandbach Striders running club made their annual trip to Blackpool to run the length of the world-famous illuminations. Starting in Starr Gate the five mile route takes in such iconic landmarks such as Blackpool Tower, the Pleasure Beach and the Golden Mile.

Sandbach Striders at Blackpool Illuminations Run

Race Report: Arley Hall 10k 07/11/2015

On a damp overcast Saturday morning, eight  striders made there way to Arley Hall for this popular 'Cheshire 10k Race'. The weekends forecast was for wet and windy, which is exactly what it was. 

We met at our cricket club, and a convoy of three cars made there way to Arley Hall. We parked on a large grassy field, it was evident it was going to be a muddy affair. Not to be outdone, the ever organised 'Matt Wood' came armed with planks of wood and a length of rope to get out should we get in trouble. Getting bogged down and stuck in the mud wouldn't be a problem for the striders, Matt's army training had served him well!

Race Report: Grin & Bear It 31/10/2015

The Grin and bear it, or the snarl and swear at it. 

This was to be my longest distance run since 1st September and would allegedly total some 16 miles of fell running. 

Race Report: Halloween Hellraiser 25/10/2015

Well, what a beautiful crisp day for a yomp in the Cheshire countryside. 9 fun-filled miles with great company (Paul, George & Tony in the distance!), a bit of mud, & more stiles than you can shake a muddy stick at. 

There were hills, mud, on-road, off-road, but not too much of anything, which makes this a great race for anyone wanting to step up from a 10k distance.

This week's news: 01/11/2015

With another weekend of fine weather, Sandbach Striders took full advantage yet again and although not so many events were attended, we were in-force where we appeared! From Congleton Park run to a 10k in Orlando, America!

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

Closest to home were the 14 Striders who ran the free weekly Congleton parkrun with two new PB’ achieved by David Sharp and Lee Chadwick.

This week's news: 26/10/2015

Although the weather was mixed this weekend, it did not stop Sandbach Striders taking part in a variety of events. 

Grant Stanning, Mik Escolme, Kate Jayden, Martin Gunther, Heather Carter and behind are Craig Edwards and Christopher De Rycke at the Snowdon Marathon

Closest to home were the eight Striders who ran the free weekly Congleton parkrun. Although no PB’s were achieved, some good times were achieved.

This week's news: 19/10/2015

There was a huge turnout of Sandbach Striders at the free weekly 5k parkrun at Astbury Mere in Congleton this week. Eighteen Striders crossed the finish line with Tony Taylor, James Boon and Helen Child all recording new personal best times. 

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

The full results were as follows:

Race Report: Werrington 10k 19/10/0215

After 5 months of fine dining and booze, I wasn’t really looking forward to the Werrington 10K. I last did this race in 1999 and I did remember that there was a hill at the end of the race. 

The weather conditions today were great, I even got to air my legs and wear my vest.  So many people shouted “ Go for it Liz” and I wondered who they were!, until I remembered my name was on the back of my vest.  

Race Report: Pattingham Bells 7m

I opted to run this race and despite my best attempts at recruiting any fellow striders to come and join me I was alas a lone strider on the start line. Some said because I mentioned it being in that Black Country capital that is Wolverhampton others told me that they simply thought that it must be a shady tough hilly brutal type run as it was only 7 miles and I was doing it. 

In fact they were all wrong, it was in fact in Pattingham which although is close to Wolverhampton is in fact a gorgeous village on the Shropshire / Staffordshire border. Also it was although a slightly hilly/undulating off road course, very runnable and straight forward with great marshals and a real nice village community feel to it. 

Race Report: Rivington Trail Half-marathon 03/10/2015

Having returned from Holiday and still nursing an injury I opted to utilise this trail half to find some way of regaining some fitness. Now, being as I now frequent the area of Rivington on many occasions due to that four letter word work, I have been mixing  with a few of the Burnden runners and gaining some familiarity of the area and more importantly some significant hill training over the Pennines. 

So I turned up not really expecting much, thinking a Lancashire man and a few pigeons and maybe the odd whippet and a few runners running  over the pike. 

Race Report: Sheffield Ten10kTen 18/10/2015

Alarm went off before 6am on Sunday Morning. I was heading over to Sheffield to visit my daughter who is studying at Sheffield University. Just a few days before I noticed that there was a 10k race on Sunday morning in Enfield Park, just a few miles from where my daughter lives. There were a few places left so I thought I would give it ago!

We managed to get over the foggy peaks and arrived in Sheffield just before 9am – the race started at 10am so I had plenty of time to pick up my race numbers and have a quick look at the course. First impressions were that it was hilly, very hilly. 

This week's news: 12/10/2015

Six different running events around the country featured runners from Sandbach Striders Running Club this week. Closest to home was the free weekly parkrun at Congleton which featured fifteen Striders. 

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

First Strider home and finishing in fifth position overall was Tony Taylor who also earned himself a new personal best time. He was joined by Steve and Gillian Fallows who both also ran new personal best times. 

This week's news: 04/10/2015

This week, members of Sandbach Striders running club enjoyed the last couple of days of late summer sunshine and participated in nine diverse events around the country.

Sandbach Striders at the Congleton parkrun

Closest to home were the eight Striders who ran the free weekly Congleton parkrun. James Boon and Tracey Hale earned personal best times.

The full results were as follows:

19:12 Tony Taylor
20:14 Heather Carter
22:38 Andrew Ayres
24:04 James Boon (PB)
26:04 Denis Culloty
26:05 Terry Coppenhall
27:45 Wendy Barnes
30:04 Tracey Hale (PB)

Pictured left to right: Tony Taylor, Terry Coppenhall, Andrew Ayres, Tracey Hale, Heather Carter, James Boon and Denis Culloty at Congleton Parkrun.

Also in parkrun action were Duncan Robertson and his daughter, Milly who travelled to Swindon  parkrun where the 2 lap course took them on a scenic tour around Lydiard House. Both of them came in at 34:30 which is a new PB. 

Milly and Duncan Robertson at Swindon Parkrun.

Further a field, more parkrun tourism took place when Alice Rebecca and David Sharp ran Porthleven  parkrun in Cornwall. This parkrun is a gorgeous lakeside, seaside but somewhat hilly parkrun. Alice came in at 26:52.

Alice Bober and David Sharp at the Porthleven Parkrun.

Michael Escolme ran the Nostel Priory parkrun near Wakefield in West Yorkshire. The course is a two lap route around this beautiful National Trust property. Michael finished in a time of 32:22

Michael Escolme and Mary Chadwick at Nostell Priory parkrun

Paul Nicholls was also in action at the Rivington trail half marathon, Lancashire. From the race description, it sounds both scenic and challenging. Paul (unofficial time) was 2:12.

Paul Nicholls at the Rivington trail half marathon, Lancashire.

Tony Taylor took himself off to run in the Warrington Resolution 15Km race managing to come in 1st overall out of 200 runners in a very respectable time of 59:27!

Husband and wife team, Gillian and Steve Fallows travelled the short distance to Oulton Park to take part in the well established dualathlon around the race track. Anyone that has been to Oulton Park knows that this is not flat by any means and the couple took on the undulating challenge achieving very respectable times. This dualathlon was broken down into 3 segments: 5k run, 20k bike ride, followed by another 5k run. Steve came in at 1:15:05 and Gillian in 1:39:00. This was Gillian’s first attempt at a dualathlon. Obviously, she has plans for more!

Gillian and Steve Fallow’s at Oulton Park Dualathlon.

On Sunday morning seven Striders (along with two running buddies)  took part in the Winsford 10K. The team enjoyed a sunny run through the streets of Winsford. 

Pictured left to right – Elaine Wood, Matt Wood, Linsey Astles, Denis Culloty, Helen Child, Claire Dalton, Dave Stockton,  Darren Carter and Karen Lovatt at the Winsford 10K.

The results for the Winsford 10K are: 

51:59 Matt Wood
53:40 Helen Child
54:44 Denis Culloty
1:00:14 Linsay Astles
1:00:14 Claire Dalton
1:04:20 Karen Lovatt
1:08:20 Dave Stockton

Also four Striders took to the roads of Congleton for its annual half marathon.
Rick Kelso-Davies  came in at 1:35:58, Janet Burgess 1:53:35, Mik Escolme 1:55:35 and Phil Truman 2:19:02.

Three of the four runners at Congleton half marathon. Phil Truman, Janet Burgess and Mik Escolme.

Last but not least, another nine Striders took part in the 5th Chester marathon which attracted over 5000 runners this year. The course wound it way through Chester and quickly took everyone out into the Cheshire and Welsh countryside. You could tell the Romans had been here previously as some of the lanes were very straight indeed!

Lindsay Beeston and Chris Holden at the Chester Marathon

The results for the Chester marathon are as follows:-

3:09:09 Darren Varley
3:29:07 Steve Farnell
3:36:47 Gordon Hutchins
3:38:15 Giles Hodges
3:53:38 Francis Gilchrist
3:56:37 Kate Jayden
4:14:23 Lindsay Beeston
4:17:23 Cheryl Hutchins
4:34:26 Chris Holden

Husband and wife team, Cheryl and Gordon Hutchins after the Chester Marathon.

This week's news: 28/09/2015

This week, members of Sandbach Striders running club participated in seven diverse events around the country.

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

Closest to home were the ten Striders who ran the free weekly Congleton parkrun. Heather Carter was the first female to cross the finishing line, whilst Tony Taylor, Denise Dowling and Helen Child all earned themselves new personal best times. Lee Chadwick also ran his first ever parkrun since joining the club.

This week's news: 21/09/2015

Members of Sandbach Striders running club were for the second week represented in four different 5k parkruns held each Saturday morning around the country.

Denise Dowling, James Boon and Alice Bober at the Congleton 10k

Five Striders were at Astbury Mere to run the Congleton parkrun, Alice Bober earned herself a new personal best time and James Boon made his parkrun debut after joining Sandbach Striders just a few weeks earlier.

Race Report: Teach First Run The River 10k 15/09/2015

On Tuesday 15th September I did the Teach First Run the River in London. Starting at 7:00 in the evening in More London near Tower Bridge, over 3,000 runners set off to do a 5k or 10k, crossing several bridges across the Thames, and finishing at dusk with a jog across Tower Bridge, which looked amazing all lit up in the evening light. A great race . 

There are no path or road closures so we passed many bemused London Tourists who were

Race Report: English Half Marathon 10K course: 20/09/2015

Having graduated from the couch to 5k, to 10k, I have well and truly caught the bug for running and racing!  So this Sunday saw myself and fellow strider Moe Dutton turn up at Warrington for the 10k course as part of the EHM run festival.  With Phil Truman and Wendy Barnes taking the full challenge and running in the Half. 

 This year was the 7th English Half Marathon with the addition of a 10k Road Race Challenge and a LiveWire Mile Challenge, all with new routes. Every runner received a medal, t-shirt and goody bag at the finish line. 

This week's news: 14/09/2015

Members of Sandbach Striders running club were represented in four of the free weekly 5k parkruns held each Saturday morning around the country.

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

Eight Striders ran the Congleton parkrun at Astbury Mere, although for the second week running there were no new personal best times. 

Race Report: Winchester parkrun and Bacchus Marathon 12-13/09/2015

Winchester Parkrun

For any Parkrun tourists in the Hampshire area this is a pleasant 5k round the Winchester ‘North Walls’ Recreation Park.  Although it consists of 3 circuits of the playing fields, the tree lined surroundings make the run more interesting than it sounds.  The course is mostly run on grass, and is flat as a pancake, so has definite P.B. potential.  I used it as a warm up for a marathon the following day.

Race Report: Sandbach 10k 06/09/2015

You have heard  about it, read about it and talked about it and then I was there standing on the bridge waiting for the signal to go. The Sandbach 10k race had arrived. Not just any 10k but a special 10th anniversary one.

Moe approaching the finish line 

This week's news: 07/09/2015

Eleven members of Sandbach Striders running club ran the free weekly 5k parkrun at Astbury Mere in Congleton. Unfortunately there were no new personal best times this week.

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

Michael Escolme ran the 5k Hanley parkrun, finishing in a time of 30:41. 

Sandbach 10k 2015 Sponsored by Butcher and Barlow LLP

It was the Tenth Anniversary of the Sandbach 10k sponsored by Butcher and Barlow LLP. 

Sandbach 10k winner Carl Moulton

This year 166 runners were set on their way along the multi-terrain course by Mayor Gill Merry and her consort. 

This week's news: 31/08/2015

Thirteen members of Sandbach Striders running club ran the three laps that make up the free weekly parkrun at Astbury Mere near Congleton. Ben Collett and husband and wife team Steve and Gillian Fallows all earned new personal best times.

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

The full results were as follows:

Race Report: Sandwell Six Towns 30/08/2015

I ran this event last year with several other striders. This year after a week off I opted to enter late and up my mileage for August which following this run would top 200 miles for the first time ever. 

A plea to see if any of my running buddies were having a go soon got a response from fellow strider Craig. This was good as the last time I ran a distance event with Craig was the Sandstone ultra and we had a bit of a giggle as well as Ice creams that day. With Craig using the event as training for the Round Rotherham 50 and me just using it as a miles on the clock/ chalk another off the list we opted to just go and have some fun.

Entries now open for the Sandbach 10k 06/09/2015 sponsored by Butcher & Barlow!

ENTRIES STILL AVAILABLE

Entries are still available for the 10th Anniversary of the Sandbach 10k & Family Fun Run sponsored by Butcher and Barlow.

Sunday 6th September 2015 -11.00am


There will be an array of family friendly activities going on before, during and after the run including:

This week's news:23/08/2015

Five Striders travelled north to the outskirts of Warrington to run the Birchwood 10k. 

Tom Mayell, Denis Culloty, Heather Carter, Andy Thomas and Andrew Gibson at Birchwood 10k

The results were:

Race Report: Birchwood 10k 23/08/2015

Five Sandbach Striders headed north on Sunday morning to join around a thousand runners taking part in a 10K race. The event took place in and around Birchwood, starting near the railway station and shopping centre.

The weather was warm, humid and windy – not ideal running conditions (for me anyway!).

This week's news: 17/08/2015

Ten Striders crossed the finish line at the free weekly parkrun in Congleton. Denise Dowling and Lindsey Beech both ran new personal best times. 

Sandbach Striders at the Congleton parkrun

The full results were as follows:

This week's news: 10/08/2015

This week was the annual running of the Pie and Peas 5 mile trail race in the village of Moutlon near Northwich. Forty members of Sandbach Striders ran this popular event.

Sandbach Striders at Pie and Peas

The full results were: 

This week's news: 03/08/2015

Holiday season means the opportunity for members of Sandbach Striders to participate in a spot of parkrun tourism as they find themselves in different parts of the country. This week Striders were represented in 8 different events around Britain. Duncan Robertson ran the Swindon parkrun in 39:42 narrowly beating his daughter Milly who ran her first ever parkrun event.

Milly and Duncan Robertson at Swindon parkrun

This week's news: 27/07/2015

As the summer holidays begin the number of organised running races decreases, as such members of Sandbach Striders mainly participated in the free weekly 5k parkruns that continue to grow in popularity around the country. Striders took part in five different events.

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

At the Congleton parkrun ten Striders completed the three lap of Astbury Mere with Rick Kelso-Davies earning himself a new personal best time.

Race Report: Race to the Stones 11/07/2015

I’ve always tried to have the mindset that you should try and find the positive in every situation, no matter how bad. 2 years ago I received my first ever DNF during a 100 mile ultra, the positive? It would lead me to join the Sandbach Striders a couple of months later to reinvigorate my running. Shortly after we found my wife would be having some operations over the next year and I took the decision to take a break from ultras as I wouldn’t have the time I needed to train, the positive? I’d spend a year training for shorter distances and smashing all my PB’s.

Race Report: Potteries Marathon 05/07/2015

You’ll have run a marathon already. You’ll already be marathon fit, it won’t feel that hard. Why not just enter it?”

Outside the Britannia Stadium raring to go

Or at least that was the advice from some ‘friends’ in the Striders earlier in the year, trying to talk me into joining the first Potteries marathon for twelve years. A few months later, and two months after the London marathon, I’d entered it but I was seriously doubting their advice. The training for London felt a long time ago, and I definitely hadn’t trained for heat. Seven Striders were on the start list but unfortunately only three had been able to make it on the day. So it was me, Heather and Fran who met up at the Britannia stadium. The stadium with enough capacity for 30,000 fans was open for about 1000 runners, so the facilities at the start were probably the best of any race I’ve ever been to.

This week's news 20/07/2015

It was an uncharacteristically quiet week for the members of Sandbach Striders running club. Despite that Striders took part in four different parkrun events and two longer distance events.

Sandbach Striders at Congleton parkrun

At the free weekly parkrun at Congleton thirteen Striders completed the three laps of Astbury Mere, with Martin Gunther earning himself a new personal best time.